Gerard Craughwell (Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context

I welcome the members of RDFRA and thank them for that excellent presentation and update.

I wish to put things in context if I can before I ask any questions. I was involved in, not RDFRA, but in what was the FCA back in my time. For the members of the committee who are not familiar with what went on at that time, on a Tuesday night in Galway where I lived, every crossroads had people standing in uniform to be collected. It was not just Galway city but Shrule, Headford, Carraroe, Carna and places 20 or 30 miles from the barracks. We had training on Tuesday nights and on a Sunday we had field days with firing range or various other exercises taking place. In order to save €40 million during the financial crisis, we shut down all of that. The representatives of RDFRA can correct me if I am wrong, but if lived in Belmullet and wanted to be a member of the Reserve, the nearest barracks are Finner Camp in Donegal, Dún Uí Mhaoilíosa in Galway or Custume Barracks in Athlone. In order to attend parade in any one of those, I would have to get myself there. There is no transport to bring me. There is no CQ operating in any major town. I remember there was a CQ in Kilrush and another in Gort. There is no CQ, transport or staff in any of these places. I am unsure, and our witnesses might be able to fill me in on this, as to whether or not there is a PDF officer allocated to specific units of the RDF.

For €40 million, we destroyed a voluntary system that had a proximity to the Defence Forces that provided a constant stream of cadets for officer training and personnel for other ranks or enlisted personal training. That has dried up and it has destroyed recruitment in the Defence Forces. I welcome the opinions of our witnesses on this though I may not be able to hear them as I have a call coming in that I have to take. However, I will be back.

I wish to discuss the pay issue and particularly the information about €92 a day that has come out over the past few days. The Department has offered an explanation which to my mind is unacceptable. Mr. Gargan mentioned the business case. I had a debate yesterday with the Minister for public expenditure and reform. Any Department in this country can promise anything it wants but the Department of public expenditure and reform will make the final decision on the business case and if it does not stand up, one gets nothing. The question I have for the representatives of RDFRA is why should there be a business case? If a recruit is in uniform as an orderly officer, a guard commander or a private soldier on duty over the weekend, why should they not be paid at the same rate as their PDF equivalent? I go back to the 1970s when FCA people came in on permanent contracts and were filling in vital roles because of the Troubles.

Nobody said they could not be paid. They were paid. We were talking about this with a number of people yesterday and I agree that FCA people who came in for a fortnight's camp were never treated as peer equals, whereas FCA people who came in on a long-term contract were treated as peer equals. I wonder if that has changed because that has something to do with the mindset that allows what has just happened over the previous few days. There was an undertaking given that RDF personnel would be available and utilised for overseas service and other services outside the norm. Has that happened and has there been any engagement on that? On the cost of the medical, it is outrageous that people who want to volunteer their service must pay in order to get a medical to do it. If we are genuinely serious about recruitment, we should at least provide a free medical, which is extremely important.

I am interested to know the difference between the Reserve Defence Force and Civil Defence. We had representatives of the Civil Defence before the previous defence committee and it is actively recruiting. It seems to have a fairly strong recruitment line. Is the problem that Civil Defence still exists in most villages around the country whereas the Reserve Defence Force has been pulled away? I gave the Belmullet example and I apologise to the Chair as I did not deliberately pick Belmullet. It is just such a remote place.